The Original Old Clam House

Shopping for appliances, home improvement supplies, furniture, and other things we aren't usually in the market for is really bringing me and J into parts of SF we never go to. This weekend, we found The Original Old Clam House down on Bayshore.

Does it remind you of The Drunken Clam from The Family Guy? I swear that neon sign was designed by the same person.

The star of the meal was the steamed cherrystone clams. It's hard to find cherrystones on this coast, especially so perfectly prepared. The pieces of meat were large, plump, and juicy, and there was plenty of flavorful clear broth to sip. The broth wasn't too salty either! The other food passing by looked great, especially a clam bake that's brought to the table on fire. I'm a sucker for food that's on fire.

The clam strips were less interesting. I wouldn't order them again. But I do think we'll be back at The Old Clam House. It's a little out of the way, but it's the kind of homey divey place that J loves. And I can also appreciate an old-fashioned, unpretentious place that had probably been serving the same food for fifty years. Most places like that get lazy with their preparation or cut corners by buying too much out of the Sysco food catalog. Then they either shut down or survive by having cheesy decor and attracting tourists. But when gems like this keep up the food quality, they are wonderful flashes of an All-American past.